[Ansteorra] The original complaint filed.

[Chris Zakes]

At 06:39 PM 2/9/2012, you wrote:
>On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 6:09 PM, Chris Zakes <dontivar at gmail.com> wrote:
> > At 05:15 PM 2/9/2012, Eve wrote:
> >
> >> On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 4:36 PM, Cionaodh O'Hosey
> >> <CionaodhOHosey at verizon.net> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > On Feb 9, 2012, at 4:20 PM, chris st. john wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> If you answer no to these questions, why would you not report a child
> >> >> in
> >> >> an unsafe situation?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > I would always report such things, that said, not wanting to have to
> >> > look
> >> > out for the safety of children makes me want to seek an adult only
> >> > activity.
> >> > I doubt I am alone.
> >> >
> >> > Cionaodh O'Hosey
> >>
> >> I have a brilliant idea! Let's see how "not alone" you are with this
> >> thought. Plan a no-children event. It can be like an SCA event in
> >> every other way, hold whatever activities you like (chivalric combat,
> >> rapier, archery, equestrian, feasting, classes) pick whatever theme
> >> inspires you, but just have a "no minors are permitted onsite at this
> >> event" policy. See if a group will agree to sponsor it. Then see how
> >> many people attend and you'll have your answer.
> >>
> >> And no, before anyone thinks this is sarcasm, it's not. Some of us
> >> might like to have a day free of children (ours or anyone else's).
> >> There might be a permanent home for this on the calendar if it does
> >> well. And if it's a complete failure, well then we know we don't have
> >> to even discuss the idea of the entire society going child-free ever
> >> again.
> >
> >
> >
> > Well... to really meet Cionaodh's goal of a child-free SCA, you'd have to
> > have an event that not only didn't allow children, but didn't allow people
> > who *have* children to attend. Or maybe you could cut the parents a little
> > slack, and if they've got kids, then only one parent could 
> attend, while the
> > other one stayed home with the kids.
> >
> > That'd be a much more realistic portrayal of the SCA he seems to want.
> >
> >        -Tivar Moondragon
>
>Tivar,
>
>Please take the suggestion in the good nature in which it was
>intended. People who *have* children would be perfectly welcome at
>this event. There are such things as babysitters and grandparents, and
>some of us folks with children go to other things without them
>(movies, dinners, concerts, heck my parents used to take 1 week
>anniversary getaways).

Granted, but how many of those things are full-weekend events? Can 
*you* afford a babysitter from Friday evening until sometime Sunday 
afternoon? And if so, how often? Maybe you can drop the kids with the 
grandparents, but what if they're in another state (or in Houston 
when you want to go to Steppes Warlord or Namron Protectorate?)


>As much as I love my kids, they're not some
>sort of growth I would need to have surgically removed, and despite
>appearances they are not in fact attached to me at the hip.
>
>I don't see a problem with trying this for one event and letting
>people vote with their feet. Someone other than me would have to step
>up and plan it though, I'm too busy with my kids ;)
>
>~Eve

Sure, you might be able to manage this for one weekend in the year, 
but if you're going to a couple events every month? (Which we were, 
at one time, with two fairly small kids.) *That's* the point I was 
trying to make: that a kid-free SCA means you're going to lose a lot 
of parents along with those kids.

         -Tivar Moondragon